Individuals often use ladders to access high or steep roof areas. Ascending and descending the ladder can be dangerous, particularly with conventional ladders which may be unstable and limited by the amount of weight these ladders can handle.
For example, if the top portion of the ladder is not extended high enough past the edge of the roof, the ladder may become disengaged from the side edge of the roof (or fascia). In addition, leaning the ladder on the fascia or gutters may cause scratching of the fascia and/or gutters as the user climbs the ladder.
Extending the top portion of the ladder past the edge of the roof can pose an additional safety concern, because the user has to dismount the ladder onto the roof top by climbing up and over the top portion of the ladder, or going around on the side of the top portion of the ladder.
In addition, if the user does not have a helper to hold and steady the ladder while the user is climbing, the ladder can slide sideways and endanger the safety of the user climbing on the ladder. Traditional ladders may also pivot at the point of contact with the ground and/or “kick” the bottom of the ladder out, causing the ladder to be unstable.